Community Medicine Abstracts - College of Medicine and Health ...

Project No. 184 (D-2002/3)An Outcome Study of Hypertensive Disease in Pregnancy Perinatal OutcomesAmong UAE National Women in Tawam Hospital in 1998-2001Student Authors: Eman Mohd R.M.S. Al-Seddeeqi, Moaza Eid Khalfan Eid Al-Suwaidi, Naheel Mohd Juma Salem Al-BootFaculty Supervisors: Dr. A. Carter, Dr. M. HossainAbstract:Objectives The purposes of this study were: first, to estimate the prevalence ofhypertension in pregnant women in Tawam hospital during the period of January 1998and June 2001. Secondly, to compare perinatal mortality and morbidity in women withhypertension (exposed) and healthy pregnant women (non-exposed)..Methods The study was a retrospective matched medical records based cohort studyon all UAE national women with uncontrolled hypertension who delivered a singletonchild during the study period.Results The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in UAE women presenting fordelivery was (2.82%). There were 100 exposed women enrolled in the studyindividually matched to non-exposed 100 women. Of 100 exposed women, 49%women met the definition of preeclampsia, 25% met the definition of pregnancyinducedhypertension, and 26% women met the definition of uncontrolled chronichypertension. The outcomes examined in this study showed that women withhypertension were significant more likely to have non-spontaneous delivery (p =0.0001) and perinatal morbidity (p = 0.027) than non-exposed women. Spontaneousdelivery occurred in (77%) non-hypertensive women compared to (37%) ofhypertensive women. Neonatal jaundice was the most common cause of perinatalmorbidity.Conclusions The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in UAE women presenting fordelivery, while important, is lower than that reported in other countries. Whilehypertension was significantly associated with 2 outcomes studied, it was notassociated with other outcomes commonly reported to be associated with hypertensionin pregnancy in other countries. The reason for that might be the fact that our samplesize was not adequate. If the same risks can be demonstrated in larger studies in UAE,attention should be directed to adequate care for women who have hypertensionduring pregnancy in order to minimize the associated perinatal mortality andmorbidity.